Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-01
CEIERON.


In l74S the treaty Of AiN-la-Chapelle
quieted the French title for time to
this great area. But the French forts
Niagara, erected in lT26; Presque Isle
(meaning peninsula, at Erie; lie B9uf
(signifying "place Of buffaloes"D, in
Erie county, Pennsylvania, still frOwn-
ed upon English intFuders. In l749
some traders found on the Ohio river a
buried leaden tablet or plate which
they sent to the Colonial authorities; ii
contained the following inscription in
French:
"In the year l749, reign of Louis XIV,
King of France, we, Ccleron, COM
mandant of detachment sent by
Monsieur, the Marquis of Galissoniere,
Chief of New France, to
establish tranquility in certain villages
of these cantons, have buried this plate
at the confluence the Ohio and of Po-ra-
da-koin, this 9th of July, near the
river Ohio, otherwise Beautiful river, as
monument of renewal of possession,
which We have taken of the said river,
and of all its tributaries, and of all the
land on both sides, as far as to the
sources of said rivers-imasmuch as the
preceding kings of France have enjoyed
this possession, and have maintained it
by their arms and by treaties especially
by those of Riswick, Utrecht and AK
la-Chapelle." Literal.)
The same year the French, becoming
alarmed at the holiness of English
traders from the Eastern colonies, in
venturing into the Ohio country, sent
armed forces to drive them back, and
in 17En fhn ~
Colonial Governor informed the Council
that the past summera French Captain
Celeron, with three hundred French
and some Indians, had entered the
Ohio Valley to reprove the Indians for
their friendship to the English, and for
suffering the English to trade with
them. 1t appears that the English
colonies of Pennsylvania and Virginia
had licensed traders to traverse this
French territory, four of whom had
been seized as early as 1749 as trespas-
sers, and were carried to Canada under
charges of tampering with the Indians
and trying to seduce them to convey to
the English rights in land for powder,
lead and whisky Thus. it win be seen,
matter were converging to focus.
We cannot stop longer to follow the
career of the great explorers Of the
French nation. We have already
imbibed the spirit and character of
their work, and can give them all due
credit for their valor and enterprise,
even though they were of different
nation from that of our forefathers, and
even though we know that they were
not long to hold their titles to this great
domain without molestation. We can
only refer the reader to the four re-
markable histories of Francis Parkman,
on the early French discoveries for he
is their Froissart: 1.-THE Jesuits in
North America" "The Discovery of
the Great West" 1.-The Pioneers of
Civilization in the New Worldn and
1.-THE Conspiracy Of Pontiac"
"It was poetry put into action; it was
the knight-errantry of the old world
carried into the depths ofthe Ameri-
can wilderness. The personal adven-
lures; the feats of individual prowess;
the picturesque descriptions of steel-clad
cavaliers, with lance, and helm, and
prancing steed, glittering through the
wilderness of Florida, Georgia, Alabama
and the prairies of the Far West, would
seem to us mere fictions of romance did
they not come to us in the matter-of-
fact narratives of those who were eye
witnesses, and who have recorded
minute memoranda of every incident"
TO BIZ CONTINUED.